ELIZABETH, Colo. — A nonprofit horse sanctuary in Elizabeth is asking the community for help after a November snowstorm caused a major need for hay.
Candice Ensign is the founder of Journey with Equus, which hopes to raise awareness about the gifts that horses have to give. The nonprofit does that through equine-partnered wellness and education programs.
"We've spent the last 10 years rescuing horses out of the slaughter pipeline, having surrenders from individuals and other maybe at-risk situations who have found sanctuary and home here with us," said Ensign. "The kind of horses that tend to find [a] home here are ones that maybe had a career on the racetrack and had a career-ending injury, some even as significant as fractures. Or horses that have found themselves in the slaughter pipeline, headed to Canada or Mexico for human consumption, and people have rescued them out of the pipeline, found out that they were not going to be a fit for a second career, and then they will bring them to us for sanctuary."
As a child, Ensign always found peace and security in horses. She said horses were her sanctuary and gave her a safe space.
"Even through being bullied through junior high and elementary, it never impacted me because I always had the horses. And they gave me a safe place to anchor, to be seen to, to really know who I was and stand in my strength. I don't know that I would have been the same person growing up without that. They saved me in a lot of ways," she said.
Journey with Equus is home to 88 horses, about 20 goats and 15 head of cattle. Basic care for animals like hay, grain and vet bills cost the rescue about $15,000 to $17,000 a month. So any unexpected expense like surgeries or severe weather can cause a chain reaction of issues for the rescue.
Currently, Journey with Equus is in dire need of hay.
November's snowstorm left around five feet of snow on the horse sanctuary. Because of the snow, Journey with Equus was not able to use their tractors to bring out the large bales of hay for the herd. Instead, they had to use their small bales from their reserves.
The nonprofit had a three-month supply that they used in about two weeks.
"We had a bunch of huge equine medical emergencies. We had to lay to rest four of our herd members, which was a really, really hard month for us. So one major event, one thing after another, in 45 to 60 days, that reserve is gone. So we're looking to find amazing community partners, whether it's through corporations, through individuals or whether it's through monthly sponsorships," said Ensign.
Journey with Equus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that depends on grants, donations and volunteers to continue to operate. If you would like to donate, you can do so at Journey with Equus Horse Rescue & Sanctuary's Colorado Gives Foundation website.
- Hear more from Journey with Equus founder Candice Ensign in the video player below
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